SENT BY: t<lCIU I FORESTRIJaW I LDL I FE; 1-22-Gi 12:13PM; 2435003...;. FAX'4 'l'Q: Date; 'l'Cll ,. OIVISION OF FORESTRY ANO WILOt!F2 of tand and 54 South High Street Hawaii 96793 FAX NO, ( 808) 243-5006 Phone No. (80Bl 243-5352 orq;wizationo 01= yY!t1ip& tL.M/t> t;-H>- (, 'l... Phone Number; FAX'd FROM: nom• C(l1111 No. of Pag•• i'A.lt'd (+ cover); Ori'iinal ia to be Mailed: Yea K No -- 8(')85486052:11 1 .. ""-: Or,.. u.:I/'.V <!O.ftJia. M,-; •.-..:1- lcL I> A- ;..,.
Transcript
SENT BY: t<lCIU I FORESTRIJaW I LDL I FE; 1-22-Gi 12:13PM; 2435003...;.
FAX'4 'l'Q:
Date;
'l'Cll
,.
OIVISION OF FORESTRY ANO WILOt!F2 Depa~tment of tand and Na~ural ~sourcas
54 South High Street Wail~ku, Hawaii 96793 FAX NO, ( 808) 243-5006
STATE OF HAWAII DEPARTMENT OF LAND AND NATURAL RESOURCES
DIVISION OF WATER AND LAND DEVELOPMENT
P. 0. BOX 373
HONOLULU, HAWAII 96809
DEC 2 8 1990
Kula, Maui, Hawaii 96790
Dear Mr. Orr:
WILLIAM W. PATY, CHAIRPERSON
BOARD OF LAND AND NATURAL RESOURCES
DEPUTIES
KEilll W. AHUE MANABU TAGOMQRI
RUSSELL N. FUKUMOTO
AQUACULTURE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM
AQUATIC RESOURCES CONSERVATION AND
ENVIRONMENTAL AFFAIRS CONSERVATION AND
RESOURCES ENFORCEMENT CONVEYANCES FORESTRY AND WILDLIFE LAND MANAGEMENT STATE PARKS WATER AND LAND DEVELOPMENT
The Department of Land and Natural Resources recently became aware of steam vents in the state owned gulch south of your property and adjacent to Waiakoa Road.
I am writing to ask permission to access onto your property to investigate the origin of these vents. The Department will use a back-hoe to dig around these vents and temporarily stockpile the soil and debris on your property.
This material will be placed back once the steam origin is ascertained. This investigation is not expected to take longer than one or two days.
This activity will take place after the current rains subside and when the back-hoe will not damage the soil on your property.
Should you have any questions, please contact Wesley Wong, Jr., Maui District Manager, Division of Forestry and Wildlife, at 243-5352 or Gordon Akita, Manager-Chief Engineer, Division of Water Resource Management, at 548-7496.
'lbo Dcplrtmmlt of Lud mel Natunl Reloun:a zeamtly ••l!ICI aware ol Jteam ve111a ID the 111a1C OMICid pll:h lOUth ol ,our ptop6itJ mel .Jj-m to W81Uoa a-f.
CiGG.e~,
1 am 'WI'itlDI to Ilk pamiUloD W l!reap•tloulo ,wr propo!lJ to invmdpto the oriJin of thae VCDIL 'lbG ])eput~Mnt will 1IIC a blck-lloe to dtg aroWid thclo WDia atld tc:mporarlly ltnckpilo die IOilllld clebria 0!1 your property.
Tbia materW will be pblced back cace tbe steam orlaiD ia aacertailled. 'Ibis inw::fripdon II DDt ~ to tab loapr tbm oae or t1110 em,..
1bil ldMty will liB p11GC aflm the GUmmt reb •uh.ide and wheD tbe back-hoe will DOt damap tile IIOil 011. )'0\ll piOpe! If·
[JIIun .,...... Mr. Dna N'lzm at dail •d~= ill JicHiolulul _______ _.. Qr ,eu ~aataet 111m by lelepheae at! ) •
FROM: Dean Nakano~ SUBJECT: site Inspection of Reported Steam Vent at Kula, Maui
On 9 I 2 7 I 9 0, I traveled to Maui, where I met with state Forester Robert Hobdy of the Maui-Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW). Mr. Hobdy and I went to the site of the reported "steam vent", which was found by DOFAW personnel on 9117190, during clearing activities associated with the Banana Poka Eradication Program.
The general location of the reported vent is mauka of Highway 37 (Kula Hwy) at an elevation of approximately 3,960 feet, near Waiakoa Homesteads (see attached map) and is situated roughly north and to the west of the existing Haleakala Southwest Rift Geothermal Resource Subzone.
The "steam" emissions were found along a 20 foot section of the northern bank of the Waiakoa Gulch (see attached photos). The original face of the bank along the state owned gulch (TMK 2-2-09:30) is covered by a large amount of soil and vegetation debris, which was reportedly pushed into the gulch by the adjacent landowner (TMK 2-2-09:21).
Despite efforts to dig through the overlying soil and buried vegetation, the large volume of material covering the bank prevented us from locating the source of the steam or the origin of the heat source. The vapor emissions found rising through openings in the soil were warm to the touch and considerably higher in temperature than the ambient air. There was no evidence of H2S or "rotten egg" odor coming from the steam emissions.
The overlying soil near the steam "vent" was found to be very moist, and significant patches of ginger (not normally found in the area due to lack of moisture) were noticed growing nearby. A particular type of fern was found near the steam emissions, which according to Mr. Hobdy, does not normally grow at higher elevations due to the cooler climate. Mr. Hobdy attributed the ferns growth to the nearby warmth and moisture from the steam.
During our inspection, a nearby resident visited the site and reported that he had noticed the steam rising in the same area for over six months. He stated that the steam was not volcanic in origin, but rather a result of the heat generated by smoldering vegetation that was buried by the adjacent landowner.
According to the resident, the landowner burned a large pile of "green" tree trunks and other vegetation which was then buried and pushed over into the gulch, and has continued to burn underground ever since. While there was no evidence (such as the smell of smoke) to substantiate this report, the "imu" theory cannot be immediately ruled out (as the source of heat) without further investigation.
Another possible theory explaining the source of heat may be that a large amount of vegetation was buried and pushed into the gulch, and is creating heat due to combustion associated with decomposing organic material, similar to that which occurs in a compost heap. While this is possible but highly unlikely, more investigation is needed before completely ruling out this theory.
The last possibility and probably the most significant geologically, if confirmed, is that the steam is the result of a residual heat source at depth along the slopes of Haleakala. The last reported volcanic activity was the 1790 post erosional eruption, which occurred on the lower southwest rift of Haleakala near La Perouse Bay. Except for this reported steam vent of unconfirmed origin, there has been no other surface evidence of any thermal anomalies or other positive indication of a geothermal resource in the area.
In conclusion, it is recommended that further investigation be conducted to identify the source of heat and resulting steam. Plans should include the use of a backhoe to remove the overlying soil back to natural ground. Excavation of a pit and inspection of the buried material will confirm or disprove of the smoldering "imu" theory as the source of heat.
Inspection of the original bank of the gulch, after the buried material has been removed, will help to verify if the steam is of volcanic origin. Additionally, gas sampling of the steam vapors can be taken and analyzed as to its chemical composition, as well as taking temperature readings of the steam and ambient conditions within the any vent or openings in the ground found during the excavation.
__ :5nt.:t< !I //vm-1!.- '-'./ :"-k"' ,_ i/1'-t '..!~ -Tv ~ (I 7/• r- ,.1' ()r ,;:J 11 ~ ~ ':J tn H' '/I> r :: f 1 l..,(,ct ,_.,
L--~/. -~-i·ditPA_~~~T OF LAND AND NATURAL RESOURCES
L··.;-;J L .... t·~-~-:.;/HtNi P. 0. BOX 621
HONOLULU, HAWAII 96809
Ref:LM-GA
WILLIAM W. PATY, CHAIRPERSON
BOARD OF LAND AND NATURAL RESOURCES
DEPUTIES
KEITH W. AHUE MANABU TAGOMORI
RUSSELL N. FUKUMOTO
AQUACULTURE DEVELOPMENT
PROGRAM AQUATIC RESOURCES
CONSERVATION AND ENVIRONMENTAL AFFAIRS
CONSERVATION AND RESOURCES ENFORCEMENT
CONVEYANCES FORESTRY AND WILDLIFE
HISTORIC PRESERVATION PROGRAM
LAND MANAGEMENT STATE PARKS
WATER AND LAND DEVELOPMENT
MEMORANDUM Refer to:MA-90:226
TO: Division of Water Resources Management
FROM: W. Mason Young Land Management Administrator
SUBJECT: Request On-Site Inspection of State Land at Waiakoa Homesteads, Waiakoa, Makawao (Kula), Maui, Hawaii; Tax Map Key: 2nd Div./2-2-09:30 (Por.)
Division of Land Management requests on-site inspection of existing fume vents located along banks of above-captioned State-owned gulch area by appropriate Division of Water Resources Management (DOWRM) staff member; i.e., geologist.
Ground transportation for designated DOWRM staff member from Kahului Airport to inspection area will be provided by Division of Forestry and Wildlife staff member or by Land Management staff member on Maui.
Please call Mr. Eddie Ansai, Maui District Land Agent, at 243-5272 in Wailuku, Maui in order to arrange the date and time of on-site inspection, and arrival of designated DOWRM staff member at Kahului Airport.
W-~~LI~-w. MASON Y9UN<lJ
Atts.
cc Maui District Land Board Member Maui District Land Office
f
JOHN WA!HEE
GO~ERNOR OF ~AWAII
STATE OF HAWAII DEPARTMENT OF LAND AND NATURAL RESOURCES
P. 0. BOX 1049
WAILUKU, HAWAII 96793
September 25, 1990
MEMORANDUM
TO:
FROM:
Mr. W. Mason Young
Eddie Ansai
DIVISIONS; AQUACULTURE DEVELOPMENT
PROGRAM AQUATIC "RESOURCES CONSERVATION AND
ENVIRONMENTAL AfFAIRS CONSERVATION AND
RESOURCES ENFORCEMENT CONVEYANCES FORESTRY AND WILDLIFE LAND MANAGEMENT STATE PARKS WATER AND LAND DEVELOPMENT
IN REPLY REFER TO:
SUBJECT: Request DOWALD's Geology Section to Inspect State Land at Waiakoa Homesteads, Makawao (Kula), Maui, Tax Map Key 2-2-09:portion 30
During recent Banana Poka eradication project within State lands by our Division of Forestry and Wildlife, several fume vents were discovered along the banks of the subject gulch parcel.
Inspection of the subject area (as shown delineated on the enclosed tax map) on September 24th and 25th, 1990 by this office accompanied by DOFAW's personnel revealed that these fume vents exist along the banks of the subject gulch parcel,
The fumes resembles low-pressure steam similar to steam released while cooking in imus.
The origin and probable cause and effect of these fume vents should be inspected by one of DOWALD's geologist, therefore, may we request such to be done as soon as possible.
Transportation from the airport to the subject area will be provided by DOFAW or by this office.
EA:js cc: Mr. John Arisumi
Mr. Wesley Wong, Jr.
·,
~
----------------·
70 ( o~,,;., c.,..,....,... _. CA•r/c• ,llf. w .. ~
